Antoine Walker
Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976, in Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American professional Basketball player with the National Basketball Association's Memphis Grizzlies, his sixth team since his NBA career started in 1996. Pre-NBA Career Walker attended Mount Carmel High School, where he attained all-state status as a senior and earned a full scholarship to play for Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky. He was a starting forward on the Wildcats' 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship-winning team. As a freshman at Kentucky he was named SEC Tournament MVP. In his sophomore year Antoine was named All-SEC First, All-SEC Tournament and to the All-NCAA Regional Teams. NBA career After his sophomore season he declared for the 1996 NBA Draft and was picked sixth overall by the Boston Celtics. Walker later teamed with Paul Pierce to help Boston reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2002, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons before falling to defeat the New Jersey Nets. Walker was selected to three NBA All-Star Game appearances, including the year when they reached the conference finals when he was voted onto the All-Star starting five by the fans. Nine days before the start of the 2003-04 season, Antoine Walker was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Walker was used in a relatively limited capacity on his new team due to the number of high-caliber players populating the Mavericks' roster. Included on that team was Antawn Jamison, newly acquired from the Golden State Warriors. On August 8, 2004 Walker and Tony Delk were traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Jason Terry, longtime Hawks member Alan Henderson and a draft pick. On February 24, 2005, Walker was traded back to the Celtics in a deal that sent Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart, and a first-round draft pick to the Hawks (Payton was released by the Hawks and re-signed with Boston for the remainder of the season). On August 2, 2005, Walker was involved in a 5-team, 13-player deal (the largest trade in NBA history) that sent him from the Celtics to the Miami Heat. On June 20, 2006, he won his first NBA Championship with the Heat, contributing 14 points and 11 rebounds in the final game of the series. On October 24, 2007, Walker was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien, a first-round draft pick and cash considerations in exchange for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. On June 27, 2008, Walker was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Marko Jarić, Greg Buckner, and the rights to O. J. Mayo, for Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins, and the rights to Kevin Love. Robberies In July 2000, Walker and former University of Kentucky teammate Nazr Mohammed were robbed outside a Chicago South Side restaurant. In a separate incident on July 9, 2007, Walker and another individual were robbed at gunpoint by two offenders in his own house. The assailants made off with close to $200,000 worth of merchandise, including Walker's Mercedes. His car was later recovered having been stripped of its expensive aftermarket wheels and stereo system. Four men have been charged in this robbery and two of them have also been linked to the similar robbery of fellow NBA player Eddy Curry. External links * * Walker's Career Stats Category:Celtics players Category:1996 players Category:1997 players Category:1998 players Category:1999 players Category:2000 players Category:2001 players Category:2002 players Category:2003 players Category:2005 players